Rich Experience Serving World People’s Progress

THE past century has been a turbulent period in the history of mankind, signified by huge scientific progress and economic development, but also by world-wide struggle for progress and revolutionary development against all forms of backwardness, exploitation, imperialism, hegemonism, and oppression.

The Korean peninsula was a focal point in this gigantic struggle, and the Korean people, headed by their great leaders, fought hard struggles, won significant victories, and drew rich experience from their modern history.

A century ago, Korea was a colony harshly ruled by the Japanese imperialists. Its very existence as a nation was severely threatened. The great leader president Kim Il Sung took upon himself the huge task to raise its people against Japanese colonialism and remnants of feudalism and to create a new society where the masses of the working people would be its true masters.

His conviction was that if the masses of the people were to win the struggle for national independence and freedom, they must fight in an organized way with a correct strategy and tactics under the leadership of a revolutionary party. He therefore formed the Down with Imperialism Union, started organising political work among the broad masses, and formed units for armed struggle.

From his country’s history and from the failure of the Korean communist party he drew the important lesson that factional strife leads to the weakening of national power and attracts foreign forces. When foreign forces come in, the country goes under. He later wrote:

“There is no historical example of a great power sympathizing with a small country and giving freedom and independence to the people of a weak country. A nation’s sovereignty can only be achieved and preserved through that nation's independent efforts and indomitable struggle. It is a truth that has been proven through many centuries and generations.”

This conviction was the origin of the Juche idea, which was successively developed as the rich guiding ideology of the Korean revolution.

The great leader defined the Korean revolution as an anti-imperialist, anti-feudal, democratic revolution. In order to liberate the country, the working class, the peasants, the national capitalists, the religious believers and all other patriotic forces that were against the Japanese should be mobilized and activated against Japan. He made clear that a new revolutionary party, free from factional struggles, should be formed, and started laying the foundation of such a party. Less than two months after the liberation on the 15th of August 1945, he formed the Workers’ Party of Korea, which will be celebrating its 75th founding anniversary on October 10th, 2020.

In December 1955, when the foundations of socialism were being laid after the Korean War, Kim Il Sung gave a speech entitled “On Eliminating Dogmatism and Formalism and Establishing Juche in Ideological Work.” At that time, the Workers’ Party of Korea set forth the policy of firmly establishing Juche and started a resolute ideological struggle against dogmatism as well as against modern revisionism. Thus was established the firm unity of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the Korean people which is the main reason why when other countries abandoned socialism, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea continued to uphold its ideology and defend its social system, the unique form of socialism modelled on the needs and desires of its own people, chosen and fought for with great sacrifices by the Korean people themselves.

The choice of the socialist road was put to a severe test in the 1990s, when trade relations with formerly friendly countries drastically soured, imperialist pressure increased, a series of natural disasters hit the country, and on top of those difficulties the great leader President Kim Il Sung unexpectedly died.

In that crucial period, the dear leader Kim Jong Il took forceful command and by means of the Songun (“military first”) policy, based on the Juche idea, lead his people through The Arduous March. Kim Jong Il gave top priority to the People’s Army and developed it as a core force to organize relief efforts and construction, defend the revolution, build socialism and defend the country. Thanks to these efforts, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea overcame the difficulties and emerged out of the 1990s as a stable and mighty socialist state, to the great disappointment of its enemies, who had prophesized about its imminent collapse.

Kim Jong Il produced several important works about the Juche idea and in defence of socialism, explaining the reasons for the failure of socialism in some countries (including the abuse of power, bureaucracy, and irregularities or corruption among party cadres). He pointed out:

“The crumbling of socialism in various countries does not mean the failure of socialism as science but the bankruptcy of opportunism which has corrupted socialism. Although socialism is temporarily experiencing a heart-rending setback because of opportunism, it will without fail be revived and win ultimate victory for its scientific accuracy and truth.”

He also made clear:

“In order to ensure that socialism strikes root deep in the people's minds and advances with strong sympathy and support of the masses, it is necessary to maintain the Juche character and national character in carrying out the socialist cause so as to keep the dignity of the country and the soul of the nation. […] Only when the people of each country carry out the revolution and construction in their country successfully as masters can the world socialist cause advance triumphantly.”

A significant result of the strong performance of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was the historic north-south summit meeting in June 2000, with the adoption of the June 15th North-South Joint Declaration, laying the ground for independent reunification through the joint efforts of the Korean people, as the masters of the country.

Faced with permanent imperialist military threat and drawing conclusions from U.S. imperialist aggression in Iraq, Libya and other countries, general Kim Jong Il gave high priority to the development of a deterrent nuclear force, thus making the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea an awe-inspiring nuclear power.

His demise in December 2011 was a hard blow to the Korean people, and he was deeply mourned.

The supreme leader Kim Jong Un soon proved to be a worthy successor and another forceful leader of the Korean people, upholding the banner of Juche and kimilsungism-kimjongilism, which guides the present radical transformation of Korean society. Under his leadership, the DPRK made great headway in development of its nuclear deterrent and missile capacity while simultaneously improving the living standards its people in spite of U.S. inspired sanctions and other hostile acts.

He also made great efforts to improve relations with the south and to establish a reliable peace mechanism with the United States.

At present the whole people of the DPRK has turned out to reconstruction in order to repair the serious damages caused by typhoons and heavy rain, determined to finish it before the 75th founding anniversary of the party.

For three quarters of a century the Workers’ Party of Korea, headed by its great leaders President Kim Il Sung, General Kim Jong Il, and Chairman Kim Jong Un, has proved itself to be the warmly caring and reliable force leading their people in hard confrontation with hostile forces to perform miracles as true masters of their country.

That is indeed a party with great experience, from which the world’s people have a lot to learn in the never-ending struggle for freedom and liberation.